Professors Myrna Simpson and Andrei Yudin are among the 29 new or renewed Canada Research Chairs at the University of Toronto.
Simpson, who has been named Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Integrative Molecular Biogeochemistry, explores environmental processes at the molecular-level and investigates ways that information can be used to improve ecosystem health and sustainability.
“I am truly honoured to receive the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair, and am especially thankful to the international scholars who supported my nomination by the University of Toronto,” she says.
“By using an integrative molecular biogeochemistry approach, these studies will for the first time unravel the complexity of these processes with the sole purpose of improving the fundamental understanding of soil carbon storage in our changing world.”
Yudin, a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Medicine by Design, investigates how complex synthetic molecules adopt previously unknown conformations and applies this knowledge in the design and discovery of new bioactive structures.
"This CRC funding will allow my lab to understand how to force a wide range of chemical structures into unusual, yet stable, conformations," says Yudin. "We will apply the knowledge of the emerging dark space in our effort to generate new bioactive forms of chemical structures and understand how they interact with proteins and other biomolecules."
The Canada Research Chair Program was established in 2000 to fund outstanding researchers in this country. It provides approximately $295 million annually to universities to help retain and attract top minds, spur innovation and foster training excellence in Canadian post-secondary institutions.
“Congratulations to the University of Toronto’s new and renewed Canada Research Chairs,” says University Professor Ted Sargent, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “This investment will further strengthen and build on the exceptional research environment at U of T.
“The Canada Research Chairs Program enables our nation’s researchers to make ground-breaking discoveries, create new knowledge and attract talent that ultimately benefits all Canadians.”